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The Song of the Shadow
History Tenets 1: Bathe in the breath of the Ebon Dragon, but holdfast to the Scarlet Queen's teardrop. 2: Behold the pillar of the family and safeguard itagainst vandals and thieves. 3: Kiss the spirits in their houses and the ghosts in theirshrouds. Both are lonely and adore the healingtouch. 4: Gather what you can from the falling leaves ofknowledge. 5: Press the truth like fine paper and ink it with thevisions you have seen. 6: Give freely of your knowledge, but wrap it up likea precious gift. 7: Look beyond the obvious and discern a deeper meaning. 8: Console the grieving and remind them to respect the dead. Training Following Xue's legacy demands a certain detachment. To stand at the doorway between life and death, one must grow immune to the torments of both. Still, to rise from dust, one must feel the tears of living things. Some vampires take that literally, while others try to overcome the cold void. Mandarins of the Shadow Song Dharma stress learning and meditation. All lessons come in symbolic terms, leaving the disciple to figure out the meanings. Most Bone Flowers prefer to be left alone, but gather into troupes to create grand artworks. These performances feature elaborate rites, haunting music and stylized dancing. Through these plays, the vampires try to capture insights and pass them on. Not surprisingly, few patrons understand, but the Bone Flowers keep trying. Weaknesses Bone Flowers are cold and dispassionate, flowing through the darkness like silent kites. White as corpses, skirtstretched across their bones, they seem fragile, almost girlish. The winds of death whisk their voices away, and they speak in eunuchs' whispers. There's something both abhorrent and beautiful in a Bone Flower's face and faraway gaze, and she never seems to care about anything that happens. The shadows' songs drown out mortal concerns. While many vampires (and some mortals) find the bone-song bewitching, others are appalled. Most hengeyokai bristle when a Bone Flower draws near. Mortals run in one of two directions; either they fly away screaming or fall hopelessly in love. The Bone Flower never seems to care one way or the other. As romantic as they might seem, Bone Flowers are known for their cold cruelty. Familiarity with the Hells and thefleeting nature of creation makes them callous to suffering of any kind. Where the Devil-Tigers teach through pain, the Flowers dismiss it. Like all things, agony is short-lived and therefore irrelevant. Affiliations *Metal *The colour Black *The number 4 *The West direction Other Names *Bone Flowers *The Quiet Song *Shadow Song *The Singing Shadow Path Directional Affiliations Auspicious Omens and Symbols *Bones *Cool springs of water *Autumn leaves *Theatre masks *Chill breezes *Withering plants *Dead flowers *Funerals Sects Rival Paths Devil-Tiger: "Choking on blood will not answer your questions.'"'' '''Resplendent Crane: "Cold as ice, hard as iron and brittle as glass." Thousand Whispers: "Deafened by all voices, you cannot hear the one which leads you."' ' Thrashing Dragon: "Dance with me, little brother, but beware the edge of that pit." Kin-jin: "You speak of death? By all means, let me show it to you...." Category:Dharma Category:The Song of the Shadow